The Gladiolus cannot easily be missed, mainly due to its gigantic appearance. Gladiolus loves to grow and some varieties can reach a total height of 1m25. The big flowers of the Gladiolus grow on both sides of the stem. They start opening up at the bottom and slowly work their way upwards the stem, creating a beautiful string of flowers.
Product profile - Gladiolus
June 1st, 2020
ORIGIN
The gladiolus is a true globetrotter, as it this flower naturally occurs in various places of the world such as Southern Europe, Asia and in the west and south of Africa. More than 250 different Gladioli can be distinguished, of which more than 150 originate from South Africa. The cultivation of the Gladiolus in the Netherlands began around the 17th century, but proper breeding only started two centuries later. During this time, the Gladiolus, and especially the flower bulbs, were still extremely exclusive and therefore very expensive. In 1912, 85 flower bulbs and 275 ‘kralen’ (the secondary flower bulbs) were sold for 20.000 Gulden (around 9000 Euros). To this day, Dutch Gladioli breeding programs belong amongst the best in the world. Due to (Dutch) breeding, hundreds of new Gladioli varieties in all sizes, colours and shapes have been introduced to the global market.
SYMBOLISM
The Gladiolus is heavily loaded with symbolism and plays part in multiple, heroic stories. And for such an heroic flower, a heroic nickname is only natural: Gladiolus is also known as 'sword flower', due to the sword-like shape of both the flower as the leaf. Some stories are closely connected to this nickname: for example, during the Roman times, gladiators literally fought to the ‘death or the Gladiolus’. When a gladiator was able to kill or win from his opponent, the public would honour the winner by throwing down Gladioli into the arena. Another story comes from Germany, during the times of Charles the great (± 780): In these times of knights, castles, swords and immense battlefields, the flowers of the gladiolus were placed inside of amulets. It was said that the bearer of this amulet was protected from sword cuts, bullets and other injuries while fighting on the battlefield. With all these stories in mind, it is not strange that the symbolic meanings of flowers are strength, victory and honour. Besides these strong and fierce meanings, the meaning of gifting Gladiolus can also be (somewhat) romantic. Legend goes dat the flower spire pierces the heart of the recipient with love.
CARE
Enjoy these big flowers for as long as possible by following these tips:- Make sure that the vase is clean and the water is at room temperature;
- Put a little bit of flower food in the water;
- Cut about 3 to 5 centimeters of the stem;
- Remove all the leaves below the waterline;
- Do not place the flowers near fruit: the natural gases of the fruits will accelerate the aging process of the flowers.
COLOURS
Our gladioli are available in multiple beautiful colours, and are currently supplied from Italy. Click here for our current Gladioli assortment.
